first time training, and getting discouraged in transition pattern blinds

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Yes, as long as you get that little creeping issue smoothed out before moving on. It doesn't look like it will take much.

Evan

"Prepare your dog in such a manner that the work he is normally called upon to do under-whelms him, not overwhelms him." ~ Evan Graham“People who say it cannot be done should not interrupt those who are doing it.”

DT, I've trained exactly one dog through pattern blinds so I have no advice about the "problem" you see. But it looks like you got an answer from several very experienced people: don't worry about the line.

I am curious, though. As you were teaching her the line to the pile, backing up gradually, she had to run through the patch you think she is avoiding. What did she do? At what point did the alleged problem appear?

The lack of steadiness at the line may haunt you as you try to progress on blinds. If she is not steady at your side, it is hard (for me) to imagine that she is steady in the field some distance away from you. Just newbie thoughts.

DT, I've trained exactly one dog through pattern blinds so I have no advice about the "problem" you see. But it looks like you got an answer from several very experienced people: don't worry about the line.

I am curious, though. As you were teaching her the line to the pile, backing up gradually, she had to run through the patch you think she is avoiding. What did she do? At what point did the alleged problem appear?

The lack of steadiness at the line may haunt you as you try to progress on blinds. If she is not steady at your side, it is hard (for me) to imagine that she is steady in the field some distance away from you. Just newbie thoughts.

In our progression back to the line he started the flair thing once we were sending at 80yards and she got to the minimal cover at 60yards.

And in regards to the creep i was preventing with the finger, she lines up and when i say dead bird she inches forward, then if i say good girl she may inch forward again. But i figure i can fix this i wa just letting her get away with it for the time being and not hammering a correction on it that might slow her momentum.

One more thing I wanted to say, I think posting a Youtube video of you and your dog is brilliant. I usually don't offer an opinion on training issues as so much is lost in translation. People who are new to dog training tend to misinterpret what their dog is doing and thinking, and they project an assumption that may be wrong. Then we go on for pages making trianing suggestions that could be the exact wrong approach because we didn't see the dog personally.

This video is a good example, DT viewed it as a problem with his dog flairing off cover, when the real problem was the initial line, the dog was actually correcting herself as he closed in on the blind. Another thing DT never mentioned that he had to hold his dog's collar to keep her from creeping as he didn't view that as a problem, or very important at this stage, watching the video, some have pointed out that issue as well.

John is quite right about Wagon Wheel Lining drills. On patterns you should pay attention to your dynamics, as you should when sending on any other retrieves. But initial lines are taught on WWLD. Specifically, the first WWLD with a circle of 8 small white bumpers. (the inner ring)

The outer ring are orange bumpers, and are set significantly past the white bumpers. On the first stage (white bumpers-only) the drill is more about positioning and moving with the handler than lining. Once you move on to lining between the whites to the orange you are working on initial lines.

Are these drills familiar to you?

Evan

"Prepare your dog in such a manner that the work he is normally called upon to do under-whelms him, not overwhelms him." ~ Evan Graham“People who say it cannot be done should not interrupt those who are doing it.”

"Prepare your dog in such a manner that the work he is normally called upon to do under-whelms him, not overwhelms him." ~ Evan Graham“People who say it cannot be done should not interrupt those who are doing it.”

John is quite right about Wagon Wheel Lining drills. On patterns you should pay attention to your dynamics, as you should when sending on any other retrieves. But initial lines are taught on WWLD. Specifically, the first WWLD with a circle of 8 small white bumpers. (the inner ring)

The outer ring are orange bumpers, and are set significantly past the white bumpers. On the first stage (white bumpers-only) the drill is more about positioning and moving with the handler than lining. Once you move on to lining between the whites to the orange you are working on initial lines.

Are these drills familiar to you?

Evan

Yes sir these are familiar, i thought they were started later in training after pb.?

And in regards to the creep i was preventing with the finger, she lines up and when i say dead bird she inches forward, then if i say good girl she may inch forward again. But i figure i can fix this i wa just letting her get away with it for the time being

Bold added by me.

You fix this by never letting it develop into a problem in the first place. In basic puppy/hot dog/cookie training and later in collar conditioning the dog should have been taught a solid sit standard. Now you've got a bad habit to break. Easier to not let it develop int he first place.

Howard NiemiYou really gotta be careful about how high a pedestal you put your method, your accomplishments, your dog on. There's usually someone who's done more, somewhere. And they may have used a different method than you did! Chris Atkinson 2013